Gov. Gina Raimondo: ‘The Portuguese are extremely important to R.I.’

PROVIDENCE — As the Portuguese in Rhode Island celebrate their 40th Day of Portugal celebration this weekend, Governor Gina M. Raimondo says she is proud that the OceanState has the largest Portuguese population per capita in the nation.

“It’s a large, vibrant community and extremely important to Rhode Island,” Raimondo told O Jornal on Monday in her office at the State House. “They have been here a long time, and I am proud of the fact that we have such a large community.”

Rhode Island’s first female governor also takes pride in the fact that she appointed the first Portuguese-American to lead R.I. State Police. Last fall, she named State Police Captain Ann Assumpico — a 24-year veteran of the force — to be Superintendent of the State Police.

“It’s a very important position in the community, and I was happy to do that,” said Raimondo, who also acknowledged working hard to bring Azores Airlines to T.F.GreenAirport.

As governor, one of her main priorities has been to assure that everyone in the state has equal opportunities, she said. Thus, most of her efforts have been dedicated to job creation and improving the quality of education.

When she took office in 2014, Rhode Island had the highest unemployment of any state in the country, while today, that rate falls below the national average.

“Unemployment among carpenters and builders was extremely high, we’ve done a lot of work in 2 1/2 years and now is much lower,” she said. “I do that for everybody, but I think the people in the Portuguese community have benefited from that.”

Raimondo has spearheaded a number of initiatives to benefit students, which include helping graduates in STEAM fields who work in the state with student loan repayment, make the PSATs and SATs free for every public high school sophomore and junior, and allowing high school students to take college courses for credit for free.

She also proposed making two years of public college free for R.I. residents and proposed for the fiscal year 2017 budget (and the General Assembly approved) a record $2.5 million in funding to specifically improve how schools teach English Language Learners (ELL students). She has proposed the same investment for the upcoming fiscal year 2018, and requested again that the funding stream remain permanent to continue supporting these students.

“These are the kind of things that break down barriers for everyone, but especially for people from immigrant communities,” Raimondo said. “If you’re a kid and neither of your parents went to college or maybe you’re the first one to speak English, the only way you are going to get a good job is if you get a good education.”

Since most of the jobs being created require education beyond high school, it can be a challenge for everybody, but particularly for the immigrant community.

“As economy is changing, I have to make sure people are not lagging behind, especially in the immigrant communities,” she said.

Since President Donald Trump took office, she has spent more time in the community assuring everyone that “Rhode Island is a place of acceptance and tolerance” and trying to combat some of the fear the new administration’s stance has caused.

“It has created a lot of fear and confusion, which is very unfortunate,” she said. “I’ve been more vocal since we’ve had this new president to reassure people that they are safe here.”

Rhode Island will continue to be a ‘welcoming’ state to immigrant groups, she added.

“There are people who are afraid to leave their house, to go to the grocery store, to call the police if they’re a victim of a crime…And there’s really no place for that,” she said. “So, we are going to continue to enforce the law the way we’ve always had. If you are going to get pulled over by the State Police for speeding or your tailgate light is out, you are not going to be deported for that.”

The governor is a proponent of giving driving licenses to undocumented immigrants.

“People are here and should be able to drive safely … the immigration system in America is broken. The federal government should fix it, there’s millions of people living in America who have been here their whole lives and they deserve the path to citizenship,” the Raimondo said.

The governor would like to see more members of the ethnic communities run for office and become more involved.

“That’s the only way to make sure the needs of your community are on the table,” she said. “The more people with different experiences at the decision-making table, the better decisions we make.”